OSCON 2004: Paul Graham on Great Hackers

Variation in wealth is a sign of variation in productivity. Low-tech
societies don't have variations in connectivity.

We need to understand especially productive people. How do you recognize
them? How do you become one? How do you get them to come to work for
you?

Like all craftsmen, hackers like good tools. They refuse to work on
projects that use the "wrong" tools.

When you decide what infrastructure to use on a project, you're not just
making a technical decision. You're making a social decision. The quality
of the people who work on your project will depend on the tools you choose.

Programming languages are mediums of expressions. They are more than
standards.

Good hackers insist on control. That's why they prefer open source.

After software, the most important tool to a hacker is the office.
Offices are places to think in. Making hackers work in a noisy
environment is like having a paint factory where the air is filled with
grit and dirt.

What tools do hackers choose when they can choose freely? Open source
operating systems and languages like Perl and Python.

People like to work with people with high standards. Buts its not enough
just to be exacting. If you're not a hacker, you can't tell who the good
hackers are. To drive design, the manager must be the most demanding user
of the company's product.

Having great hackers is not in itself enough to ensure success. A company
that can attract great hackers has a definite advantage.

How do you know when you meet a great hacker? It seems the only way to
tell is to work with them. This is why Universities are at the center of
high tech areas. They serve as intellectual dating services.

How do you become a great hacker? The key to being a good hacker may be
to work on things they like. To do something well, you have to love it.
If you're worried that your current job is rotting your brain, it probably
is. Curiosity is listed as the number one property of great hackers
given by many people. The ability to concentrate is also frequently
mentioned. If may not be possible to cultivate these qualities, but it is
possible to repress them.